List of British Jewish entertainers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a List of British Jewish entertainers that includes entertainers (actors, directors, screenwriters, musicians and others) from the United Kingdom and its predecessor states who are or were Jewish or of Jewish descent.
List of Jews by country |
Europe |
Eastern Europe | North Europe |
South-East Europe |
West Europe |
Americas |
Latin America | Caribbean |
Canada | United States |
Rest of World |
Oceania | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Arab World | Asia | Israel* |
(*most are Jewish) |
Contents |
[edit] Film actors
- Alfie Bass, obituary, Jewish Chronicle, 24/7/1987 p14
- Claire Bloom [15], actress
- Helena Bonham Carter (1966 - ) Academy-Award nominated English film/television actress[1]
- Bernard Bresslaw, actor[2]
- Eleanor Bron [16], actress and name inspiration for Eleanor Rigby
- Katrin Cartlidge [17], actress (Jewish mother)
- Joan Collins[3] actress
- Marty Feldman [18], comic actor
- Fenella Fielding[4]
- Laurence Harvey [19], actor (Lithuanian-born)
- Leslie Howard [20], actor
- Jason Isaacs [21], actor
- Sid James [22], comic actor
- Tony Jay (1933 - 2006) English/American actor[5]
- David Kossoff [23], actor and stage monologuist
- Miriam Margolyes [24], actress
- Jessie Matthews (1907 - 1981) English dancer, singer and actress[2]
- Ron Moody [25], actor (Fagin in film musical "Oliver")
- Anthony Newley (1931 - 1999) English actor, singer & songwriter[2]
- Sophie Okonedo (1969 - ) Academy Award-nominated actress (Hotel Rwanda)[26]
- Nathalie Press [27], actress
- Daniel Radcliffe (1989 - ) English actor (Harry Potter)[6]
- Antony Sher [28], actor
- Ione Skye [29], actress (UK-born; Jewish mother)
- Janet Suzman [30], actress
- Elizabeth Taylor [31] [32], actress (English-born; Convert to Judaism)
- Rachel Weisz [33], Oscar-winning actress
- Sam Wanamaker [34], actor
- Zoe Wanamaker [35], actress
- David Warner, actor best known as Jennings in The Omen
- Naomi Westerman [36], actress
- Henry Woolf[7], actor
[edit] TV actors
- Sacha Baron Cohen [37], British comedian, notable for his comedy characters Ali G and Borat; the latter is portrayed as extremely anti-Semitic.
- Steven Berkoff (1937 - ) actor, writer and director[2]
- Lionel Blair [38], TV entertainer
- Stephen Fry [39], comedian & actor (Jewish mother)
- Henry Goodman [8], actor
- Lesley Joseph [40], Dorian in Birds of a Feather
- Miriam Karlin (1925 - ) actress (The Rag Trade)[2]
- Paul Kaye (1965 - ) comedian and writer[2]
- Robert Kazinsky television actor (EastEnders)[9][10]
- Felicity Kendal [41], actress (convert to Judaism)
- Maureen Lipman (1946 - ) film, television & theatre actress[2]
- Kay Mellor [42], actress & scriptwriter
- Warren Mitchell [43], Alf Garnett in Til Death Us Do Part
- Tracy-Ann Oberman, actress: Jewish Chronicle, 30 June 2006 p36: "Tribal beat: Showbiz Jews in the news"
- Andrew Sachs (1930 - ) German-born English actor, Manuel in Fawlty Towers[2]
- Emma Samms [44], TV actress
- Georgia Slowe actress[11] Perdita in Emmerdale
[edit] TV and Radio Presenters
- Dani Behr (1971 - ) TV presenter, actress and singer[2]
- Benjamin Cohen [45], Channel 4 News reporter and presenter
- Vanessa Feltz [46], TV presenter
- Alex Kramer [47], TV presenter
- Jerry Springer [48], TV presenter (UK-born)
- Sharon Osbourne - wife of Ozzy Osbourne, former talk show host, and star of The Osbournes[12]
- Esther Rantzen [49], presenter of That's Life!, founder of ChildLine
- Gaby Roslin [50], TV presenter
[edit] Directors/producers/executives
- Jenny Abramsky [51], BBC executive
- Gerry Anderson [52], producer and puppeteer
- Daniel M. Angel [13], film producer
- Sir Michael Balcon [53], producer
- Sidney Bernstein [14], cinema owner & founder of Granada Television
- Bernard Delfont [54], impresario
- Oscar Deutsch [55], founder of Odeon Cinemas
- David Elstein Guardian, Saturday October 23, 1999, founder of Channel 5
- Stephen Frears [56], director (Jewish mother; Frears only discovered this as an adult)
- Jonathan Glazer [57], director
- Leslie Grade [58], executive
- Lord Grade [59], executive
- Michael Grade [60], ITV Chairman
- Sir Jeremy Isaacs Guardian, Saturday October 23, 1999, TV executive
- Henry Jaglom [61], director (UK-born)
- Sir Alexander Korda [62], director & producer
- Zoltan Korda [63], director
- Mike Leigh [64], director
- Richard Lester [65], director
- Jonathan Lynn [66], director
- Sam Mendes [67], director (Jewish mother)
- Emeric Pressburger [68], Oscar winning screenwriter, director & producer
- Irving Rapper [15], Oscar-winning film director; born in Britain
- Karel Reisz [69], director
- John Schlesinger [70], director
- Vivian Van Damm [16]
- Michael Winner [71], director
- Alan Yentob [72], BBC executive
[edit] Comedians
- Simon Amstell [73], comedian
- "Eagle-eyed viewers of Channel 4's music show Popworld might have spotted its Jewish presenter Simon Amstell"
- Ronni Ancona [17], impressionist
- David Baddiel [74]
- Sacha Baron Cohen [75], impressionist, Ali G and Borat
- Arnold Brown [76]
- Sam Costa, comedian: Jewish Chronicle, 2/10/1981 p24 (obituary); "He was a very proud Jew"
- Ben Elton [77], comedian & writer
- Marty Feldman [78], comedian and actor
- Bud Flanagan [79], comedian & actor
- Stephen Fry [80], comedian & actor (Jewish mother)
- Paul Kaye, comedian & actor, Dennis Pennis (The Herald (Glasgow); 07/05/05; Andy Dougan; p. 8)
- Matt Lucas [81]
- Bernard Manning [82] comedian and nightclub owner
- Denis Norden [83], scriptwriter and radio & TV personality
- Jerry Sadowitz [84]
- Alexei Sayle [85]
- Peter Sellers [86], comedian & actor
- Bernie Winters [87]
- Mike Winters [88]
[edit] Theatre
- Jacob Adler [18], Yiddish actor
- Alain Boublil [89], author and lyricist
- Peter Brook [90], director
- Maria Friedman [91], musical theatre actress
- Stephen Fry [92], comedian & actor (Jewish mother)
- Hermione Gingold [19], actress
- Henry Goodman [93], actor
- Augustus Harris [94], actor and theatre manager; son of Augustus Glossop Harris
- Nicholas Hytner [95], director
- Jonathan Miller [96], director
- Robert Rietti [97], actor
- Anthony Sher [98], actor
- Meier Tzelniker [20], Yiddish actor
- Sam Wanamaker [99], actor - "The Globe Theatre" project
- Zoe Wanamaker [100], actress
[edit] Radio
- Jenny Abramsky, BBC Director of Radio
- Rabbi Lionel Blue [101], radio broadcaster
- Jono Coleman [102], radio broadcaster
- David Prever radio broadcaster
- Mark Damazer, Controller BBC Radio 4 and BBC 7[103]
- Sir Clement Freud (1973) [104], radio broadcaster
- David Jacobs, radio broadcaster (JYB 2005 p256)
- Ludwig Karl Koch [21], broadcaster and sound recordist
- Robin Lustig, radio broadcaster, BBC Radio 4
- Mike Mendoza [105], TalkSport Radio
- Charlie Wolf [106], TalkSport Radio
[edit] Popular musicians
- Larry Adler [22], harmonica player (American born; naturalised British)
- Ambrose, bandleader (Obituary: Jewish Chronicle 18/6/1971 p35)
- Craig David, singer, songwriter <= ő az
- Nicole, Natalie Appleton & Melanie Blatt [107], members of All Saints
- Stanley Black [23], bandleader
- Marc Bolan [108], member of T. Rex
- Elkie Brooks, singer; Jewish Chronicle 14/2/1992 p10
- "Elkie Brooks and Graham Gouldman are two Jewish pop star graduates of Sedgley Park Primary School, Prestwich"
- Ian Broudie [109], member of The Lightning Seeds
- Pete Burns [110] of Dead or Alive (German Jewish mother)
- Ben Butcher, Reading born singer
- Johnny Clegg [111], UK-born South African musician
- Alma Cogan [112], singer
- Mike D'Abo, former lead singer of Manfred Mann and sang on their hit The Mighty Quinn
- Leonard Feather [24] writer on jazz, jazz pianist and composer,
- Victor Feldman [113], jazz musician
- Justine Frischmann [114], member of Elastica
- Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme & Kevin Godley [115], members of 10cc. He wrote many 1960's hits such as Bus Stop and Look Through Any Window for The Hollies, Heart Full of Soul, For Your Love and Evil-Hearted You for The Yardbirds and No Milk Today for Herman's Hermits.
- Benny Green [25], saxophonist and broadcaster
- Mick Green [116], guitarist for Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
- Peter Green, guitarist Fleetwood Mac (Celmins 2003)
- Steffan Halperin, drummer for Klaxons [117]
- Dick James [118], singer and music publisher
- Mick Jones, guitarist, vocalist The Clash (mother of Russian Jewish descent).
- Laurence Juber [119], Guitarist, former member of Wings
- Jason Kay [120], member of Jamiroquai
- Mark Knopfler, guitarist, singer and songwriter
- Paul Kossoff [121], member of Free, son of actor David Kossoff
- Keith Levene, guitarist. Founder member of The Flowers of Romance with Sid Vicious,The Clash and Public Image with John Lydon.(Father Jewish) Source :http://www.fodderstompf.com/ARCHIVES/INTERVIEWS/nme780.htm
- Joe Loss [122], bandleader
- Manfred Mann [123], R&B keyboardist
- George Michael [[124]], singer, songwriter, former member of Wham (Jewish mother).
- Jon Moss [125], member of Culture Club
- Keith Reid & Matthew Fisher [126], founding members of Procol Harum
- Gavin Rossdale [127], member of Bush
- Ronnie Scott [128]
- Helen Shapiro [129], singer
- John Silver former Genesis member
- Rachel Stevens [130], singer & former member of S Club 7
- Joss Stone [131] Singer/songwriter
- Lewis Taylor [132], singer/songwriter
- Frankie Vaughan [133], singer
- Warren Wald, pop idol contestant
- Louise Wener [134], singer with group Sleeper & novelist
- Amy Winehouse [135], singer/songwriter
[edit] Producers/managers
- Don Arden [136], music promoter and former Black Sabbath manager
- Chris Blackwell [137], founder of Island Records (Jewish mother; raised Jewish)
- Brian Epstein [138], manager of the Beatles
- Harvey Goldsmith [139], rock impresario
- Trevor Horn [140], founder of ZTT Records (not ethnically, but attends synagogue)
- Nathan Joseph, founder of Transatlantic Records [26]
- Malcolm McLaren [141], manager of the Sex Pistols (Jewish mother; raised Jewish)
- Daniel Miller [142], founder of Mute Records
- Mark Ronson D.J/ Producer [143]
- Andrew Loog Oldham [144], manager of the Rolling Stones (raised by Jewish mother)
[edit] Classical musicians
- Paul Stein-Dunville,[27], Musician
- Gerald Abraham [28], musicologist
- Elias Parish Alvars [29], composer
- John Barnett [30], composer
- Alvise Bassano, musician [145]
- Anthony Bassano, musician [146]
- Baptista Bassano, musician [147]
- Julius Benedict, composer [148]
- Maria Bland, singer [31]
- John Braham [149], singer
- Norbert Brainin [150], violinist
- Giacobbe Cervetto [32], cellist
- Harriet Cohen [151], pianist
- Michael Costa (conductor) [152], conductor and composer.
- Frederic Hymen Cowen [153], composer
- Solomon Cutner [154], known as Solomon, pianist
- Jacqueline du Pré [155], cellist (convert to Judaism)
- Harry Farjeon [33], composer (Jewish father)
- Gerald Finzi [156], composer
- Norma Fisher, [157], pianist
- Benjamin Frankel [158], composer
- Walter Goehr [159], composer
- Alexander Goehr [34], composer, his son
- Berthold Goldschmidt [35], composer
- George Henschel [160], singer & conductor
- Myra Hess [161], pianist
- Gerard Hoffnung [162], musicologist
- Steven Isserlis [163], cellist
- Hans Keller [36], musicologist
- Isidore de Lara [164], composer
- Yehudi Menuhin [165], Lord Menuhin of Stoke d'Abernon; conductor & violinist (UK-based)
- Benno Moiseiwitsch [166], pianist
- Isaac Nathan [37]
- Yfrah Neaman [167], violinist & teacher
- Michael Nyman [168], composer
- Murray Perahia [169], pianist (UK-based)
- Landon Ronald [170], conductor & composer
- Henry Russell (musician), pianist, baritone singer and composer.
- Robert Saxton [38]
- Rudolf Schwarz, [39] conductor
- Sir Georg Solti [171], conductor
- Walter Susskind (1913 - 1980) [40], conductor
- Richard Tauber, singer and composer (naturalised British citizen, 1940)[41]
- Lionel Tertis [172], violist
- Simon Waley Waley [42], musician
- Egon Wellesz [173], composer
- Benjamin Zander [174], music director
[edit] Songwriters
- Lionel Bart [175], musical writer
- Don Black [176], lyricist
- Graham Gouldman, wrote many 1960's hits such as Bus Stop and Look Through Any Window for The Hollies, Heart Full of Soul, For Your Love and Evil-Hearted You for The Yardbirds and No Milk Today for Herman's Hermits.
- Eric Maschwitz [177], lyricist, writer & broadcaster
- Monty Norman [178], lyricist, composer & singer (creator of "The James Bond Theme")
- David Rose [179], songwriter & composer
- Jule Styne [180], songwriter (UK-born)
[edit] Ballet dancers
- Celia Franca [43], ballerina
- Alicia Markova [181], ballerina
- Marie Rambert [44], ballerina
[edit] Other
- Lotte Berk, dancer and health guru [45]
- Caprice Bourret [182], model (American born & raised)
- Sharon Osbourne - wife of Ozzy Osbourne, former talk show host, and star of The Osbournes[46]
- Hedi Stadlen [183], musicologist, philosopher and Communist.
[edit] References
- JYB = Jewish Year Book
- TimesAd: The Times, 6/7/06 p34: "A Call by Jews in Britain" (advert signed by 300 British Jews)
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Bonham Carter - [1] "CARTER TOO JEWISH FOR JEWISH ROLE... British actress HELENA BONHAM CARTER stunned director PAUL WEILAND with her Jewish accent on the set of their new movie SIXTY SIX and even had to be asked to tone down her impersonation The PLANET OF THE APES actress, who has Austrian Jewish roots, stars as social-climber ESTHER REUBEN in the British film and reveals it wasn't hard to do because of her family upbringing She says, "People always think I'm indelibly English, but actually I was brought up in Golders Green (north west London) and there's tons of Jewish blood on my mother's side" [2] "Helena abandons her old-fashioned style, playing a North London Jewish mother... "My mum was so pleased I was doing this film," she laughs. "I am half French, half Spanish and Jewish - but I'm always seen as very British. I'm finally getting in touch with my Jewish roots.""
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Variety Club - Jewish Chronicle colour supplement "350 years"", The Jewish Chronicle, 2006-12-15, pp. 28-29. Retrieved on 2006-12-24.
- ^ The Express, 23 May 2003 (Paul Callan): "She was born Joan Henrietta Collins, a nice Jewish girl from Bayswater"
- ^ Jewish Chronicle, 24/10/2003 p35: "(Noel) Coward was less complimentary about (Maureen) Lipman's fellow Jewish stage star Fenella Fielding"
- ^ "Tony Jay - Obituary", The Jewish Chronicle, 2006-12-22, pp. 26. Retrieved on 2006-12-24.
- ^ Kasriel, Alex; Emily Rhodes. "A nice Jewish wizard", The Jewish Chronicle, 2006-12-22, pp. 2. Retrieved on 2006-12-24.
- ^ [3] "Woolf is angry at always having to be the little guy, and Jewish at that." Accessed 27 October 2006.
Jewish Chronicle, March 17 2000 p.43: "Home in Homerton was next door to a local Moseleyite. "My first memory at five years old," says Woolf, "is her hitting me over the head with a tennis racket. I said 'What did you do that for?' She said, 'It's nothing personal, it's because you're Jewish.' I understand that she had done it for ideological reasons." - ^ Jewish Chronicle, 28/09/2005, Diary p.66, "Could there a hint of racial stereotyping in the Almeida’s decision to cast two Jewish actors — Ronni Ancona and Henry Goodman — in its upcoming production of The Hypochondriac?"
- ^ Kazinsky - [4] "Jewish Actor Joins EastEnders... The 22-year-old actor – who can speak Hebrew and who starred in a mobile phone commercial in Israel..."
- ^ Mentioned as one of several Jewish actors on EastEnders at [5]
- ^ Slowe - [6] "another Jewish actor... Georgia Slowe"
- ^ [7]"Sharon Osbourne elaborated on her background in a November 16 interview with The Scotsman daily. She is described as "the daughter of the infamously hard-nosed music promoter Don Arden, who shaped the careers of Gene Vincent, The Small Faces" and the Electric Light Orchestra. "People expected Ozzy to have a big-[bosomed], blonde trophy wife," she said, "and instead he's got me, a short, fat, hairy half Jew. I had a lot to fight against in this industry."
- ^ Obituary, Jewish Chronicle, February 18, 2000, p.27: "He belonged to the West London Synagogue"
- ^ Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd ed
- ^ "Irving Rapper, the Oscar-winning American-Jewish film director" Jewish Chronicle, 10 Feb 1961 p30
- ^ [8]: "Van Damm, who came from a middle-class London family of Dutch Jewish origin"
- ^ Jewish Chronicle, 28/09/2005, Diary p.66, "Could there a hint of racial stereotyping in the Almeida’s decision to cast two Jewish actors — Ronni Ancona and Henry Goodman — in its upcoming production of The Hypochondriac?"
- ^ Adler, Jacob, A Life on the Stage: A Memoir, translated and with commentary by Lulla Rosenfeld, Knopf, New York, 1999, ISBN 0-679-41351-0.
- ^ [9]: "she was the daughter of an upper-class Austrian born Jewish financier Lionel Gingold and English-born Kate Walters."; Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "Her mother was Jewish."
- ^ [10] "the distinguished Jewish actor, Meier Tzelniker" Accessed 16 Dec 2006
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "Being a Jew, Koch's life under the Nazi regime became increasingly intolerable"
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ CD sleeve note cited at [11]: "Born Solomon Schwartz on June 14, 1913 in Whitechapel within London's Jewish East End, he was directly descended from Polish and Rumanian Jews."
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "He was brought up in a strictly conformist upper-middle-class Jewish family"
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "Here he grew into the streetwise but sentimental cockney-Jewish character"
- ^ Obituary, Jewish Chronicle, Nov 11 2005, p.27
- ^ [12],Classical Guitarist,musician]
- ^ Encyclopaedia Judaica
- ^ JewishEncyclopedia
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "the eldest son of a German Jewish diamond merchant"
- ^ Concise Dictionary of National Biography: "daughter of Italian Jews named Romanzini"
- ^ Concise Dictionary of National Biography: "an Italian Jew"; lived in London for over 40 years
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, art. "Farjeon, Benjamin"
- ^ Jewish Chronicle, July 13 2001 p.25 "two Jewish composers, Alexander Goehr and Robert Saxton"
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "His was a cultured, musical Jewish family"
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "he described himself as an 'unpious Jew'"
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "born in Canterbury, Kent, of Polish–Jewish descent. His parents intended him to become a rabbi"
- ^ Jewish Chronicle, July 13 2001 p.25 "two Jewish composers, Alexander Goehr and Robert Saxton"
- ^ Jewish Chronicle, February 16, 2007, p.14: "he carried on as the sole Jewidh conductor of the Kulturbund"
- ^ Bach cantatas site "The distinguished Czech-born English conductor" Lake Placid Film Forum "Walter Susskind, a German Jew" Both accessed 4 Jan 2007
- ^ "The Penguin Dictionary of Musical Performers", Arthur Jacobs, ISBN 0-14-051160-1, "Under threat as a Jew from Nazi persecution, settled in Britain, 1938."
- ^ Concise Dictionary of National Biography: "a leading member of the London Jews"
- ^ Obituary, Jewish Chronicle, Apr 13 2007, p.20
- ^ [13]: "She was Jewish" Accessed 9 Feb 2007
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "the only daughter of Jewish parents"
- ^ [14]"Sharon Osbourne elaborated on her background in a November 16 interview with The Scotsman daily. She is described as "the daughter of the infamously hard-nosed music promoter Don Arden, who shaped the careers of Gene Vincent, The Small Faces" and the Electric Light Orchestra. "People expected Ozzy to have a big-[bosomed], blonde trophy wife," she said, "and instead he's got me, a short, fat, hairy half Jew. I had a lot to fight against in this industry."
[edit] External links
- [Jinfo]